Happy February Dear Reader!
I have been quite busy the past weeks with work and finalizing my Food and Wine MBA’s final project. However, I am now back on track and have so many beautiful and delicious topics to share with you!
Let’s start with a spectacular destination worth visiting: Soave, Italy’s Most Beautiful Village. It was elected the Borgho dei Borghi - Village of the Villages in 2022. In this Merenda, I share with you what to do, where to eat and what to drink in the area of Soave. Enjoy!
Cari Saluti,
Emilia in Bologna
P.S. I have a a bunch of upcoming travel posts, keep an eye for an ode to Parma, Bassano del Grappa and also a post of the Best places to eat in Bologna.
Soave
Soave is located between the Lessini Mountains and the Val d’Adige in the region of Veneto. It’s only 30 minutes from Verona and easily reached by car. Soave is absolutely beautiful, and has a wonderful charm to it.
The village is guarded by the magnificent Scagliero Castle, and surrounded by vines, which also grow all around both the hills of Soave and its surroundings. This picturesque village has a lot of small shops, wine bars and restaurants, and even modern art sculptures for visitors to wonder upon.
What to do
We visited in mid-January which is still off-season. Nevertheless, the area managed to offer us its charm and beauty.
Walk around the Castle and its walls
Take the scenic route from the historic center, and work your way up to the top, where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the castle itself and the beautiful landscape.
Take a wine tasting in the center
We had a wonderful experience of tasting the local wine producer Pieropan’s wines with their excellent guide Martina. The two of us tasted six different wines, varying from the classic ones to some fantastic vintages grown only 200 meters from the shop itself. Scroll below, if you want to know which wines we tried.
This was a great activity to do after a nice walk around the castle and town, when the sun had set and we were feeling ready to fully emerge ourselves to the culture and taste of Soave.
Visit local wineries
Martina our guide recommended us a bunch of local wineries, however we didn’t visit them off-season. She suggested that April-May is the best time to visit, and I am hoping to travel back then.
Both estates are in a walking distance from the town center:
Bonus:
I really enjoy running wherever I can find any trails. My absolute favorite routes to run are in the countryside surrounded by vines. I went for a run early in the morning, when the area was waking up, and I could see the morning mist dissolve from the vines.
Where to stay
We stayed in a wonderful apartment we found through Booking.com. It had free parking and the location was fantastic; right under the Scagliero castle. One night was just enough time to see and experience the area.
Where to eat
The majority of Soave’s restaurant’s were closed and the few that were open, were fully booked. However, we found an excellent restaurant in the nearest town San Bonifacio, Meteri. Their owner was passionate about natural wines, and in addition to the wonderful dishes cooked with a local and sustainable approach, they had a fantastic natural wine selection.
A list of great restaurants in Soave recommended to us by the locals:
Lo Scudo
L’Osteria di Via Roma
L’Osteria del Mare
Be sure to book in advance!
What to drink and where to find them
Obviously, I was interested to visit Soave first and foremost for its wines.
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